Fort Worth Juneteenth museum design unveiled, to be ‘epicenter’ for preserving the holiday
New designs for the National Juneteenth Museum coming to Fort Worth were unveiled Wednesday, depicting an intended epicenter for the education, preservation and celebration of the holiday.
The new 50,000-square-foot building, for which construction is expected to break ground in 2023, will be located in the Historic Southside neighborhood, according to a press release.
The build site for the museum is on the 900 block of East Rosedale Street, but the specific address is not yet final. It’s expected to open on June 19, 2025.
The museum will host exhibits, discussions and events about the significance of the African-American path to freedom and is an extension of the legacy of Fort Worth activist Opal Lee, who is described as the “grandmother of Juneteenth.”
“Seeing the national museum moving forward is a dream fulfilled,” said Lee, 95, who’s also a founding board member of the museum. “I’ve had a little Juneteenth Museum in that very spot for almost 20 years, and to see it become a central place for discussion, collaboration and learning seems to be the providential next step — from my walking campaign to Washington, D.C., the petition, and having Juneteenth declared a federal holiday. It’s mind-boggling, but I’m glad to see it all come to pass.”
Lee’s petition to make Juneteenth a national holiday received over a million signatures, and the holiday was signed into law last year. Juneteenth celebrates the “breaking of the chains” on June 19, 1865, when General Order No. 3 proclaimed the freedom of slaves in Texas, almost two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Lead designer BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group and the North Texas-based architect of record, African American-owned firm KAI Enterprises, “were hired to create a building that captures the spirit of Juneteenth, expresses the historic gravity of the day both locally and globally, and celebrates the cultural heritage of the Historic Southside,” the release said.
The museum’s design is intended to embrace the local African-American experience-at-large through motifs and symbolic touch points inspired by the gabled rooftops that define the Historic Southside neighborhood, according to the release.
A nova star design will represent a new chapter for African Americans looking ahead toward a more just future, and at the center of the publicly accessible courtyard, a five-point star engraved in gold will represent Texas — the last state to adopt and acknowledge the freedom of African-American slaves — and the American flag’s 50 stars, representing the freedom of African Americans across the country.
“As a Black architect, this project is one of the most rewarding experiences of my career,” said Douglass Alligood, a partner at the Bjarke Ingels Group, which is leading the design.
The National Juneteenth Museum’s website is live at nationaljuneteenthmuseum.org for more information and to make a charitable donation.
This story was originally published June 15, 2022 at 11:28 AM.
